The invention pertains to a device for actuating locks of doors or hatches of vehicles. The damping mechanism has the task of slowing down the return movement of the movable unit, thus damping the contact noise which is produced when the actuated movable unit of the device is released and returns to its rest position under the action of its spring-loading.
In the known device of this type, a piston-cylinder unit is used as a damping mechanism; the medium which fills the cylinder of this piston-cylinder unit is ambient air (DE 100 30 331 A1). One end of this unit moves along with the handle, whereas the other end is connected to the bracket. This damping device has proven reliable, but it is expensive and bulky.
It is known in devices of another type that intermediate layers of rubber can be provided on the stationary exterior panel of the door or hatch; when the handle is actuated, it strikes these intermediate layers. The intermediate layer of rubber, however, does not slow down the pivoting return movement; instead, it merely serves to protect the paint of the exterior panel and also acts as a seal.